Tension between the Dangote Group and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has intensified after engineers involved in the September labour dispute stopped receiving their monthly salaries.

The workers, whose services were terminated during the earlier face-off, were offered redeployment to several Dangote projects across the country, including sites in Zamfara, Benue, Borno, Sokoto and Kebbi. However, many of them rejected the postings over safety fears and concerns about the lack of verifiable office locations.

Several engineers told reporters that the addresses provided in their redeployment letters did not exist when they checked, leaving them unsure of where to resume. They also expressed worries about being sent to places perceived as security hotspots. According to them, accepting the new roles under such unclear conditions would amount to “signing away their jobs,” hence their decision to rely on PENGASSAN’s assurance that the dispute would be resolved through ongoing negotiations.

A senior Dangote official, who spoke anonymously, insisted that the company would not continue paying workers who refused alternative job placements. He argued that the redeployment was a suitable option for the affected engineers, adding that no employer would keep salaries running for workers who decline available opportunities within the organisation.

PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, confirmed that conversations with the Dangote Group were ongoing but noted that several key issues from the September strike action remained unsettled. He emphasised that the union was pushing for a resolution through dialogue to avoid another nationwide disruption but would not hesitate to act if discussions failed. “Our preference is negotiation, but we will always stand firm when our members are affected,” Osifo said.

Some engineers alleged that it was initially agreed that their salaries would continue until the matter was resolved and that they would be reassigned to Dangote-owned oil and gas operations not mining, rice mills, or road construction projects. They now view the pay stoppage as a breach of that understanding and say it leaves them caught between unemployment and accepting deployments they consider unsafe and irregular.